well, it all depends on how you define ‘better people’
This isn’t a simple question
Firstly, how do we define ‘being better people’? It’s a bit chewy and philosophical, but permit me to tangentalize for a mo. Social media is about talking, communicating. So if I engage in a certain behaviour, and then I talk and communicate about something inherently better, but I still behave in the same way, am I doing any (more) good (than I was before)? Utilitarians among us are going to say no.
But not so fast…
Is being good about doing good?
This is no categorical sweeper of a statement, but I’d like to postulate that doing good is perhaps the culmination of being good. In terms of media and especially social media, talking about issues, telling stories, creating space in our culture for positive change… well I think that’s good. But talking, sharing, learning… these are good things, too.
And what did Pete have to say on the matter?
Alas, Cashmore’s title is a red herring. His actual query is a bit more practical than all that altruistic business: he wonders whether the knowledge that our words and actions are more likely to be captured (and shared and thus forever linked to us) will prompt us to be a little nicer to one another in the up-close here and now.
Pete, I hope so. But as I live and breathe in the world’s CCTV hotspot, I’m not holding my breath.
Still, thanks for the blog fodder, amigo.
